For just the second time in history, the U.S. earned a World Cup qualifying point in Mexico. And it was well-deserved.

Coach Jurgen Klinsmann and the Americans maintained their momentum from Friday’s win over Costa Rica in Denver, played to their strengths and held off mighty Mexico at the Estadio Azteca in a 0-0 draw on Tuesday night. The point lifted the U.S. (1-1-1) into a tie for second place in the six-team Hexagonal—which will send the top three finishers to next year’s World Cup in Brazil and the fourth-place nation to a playoff vs. New Zealand—and erased a significant amount of the concern that accompanied the Americans’ rough start to the year.

While Mexico will face its own fair share of criticism for its lack of ruthlessness in the offensive end, Klinsmann and the once-beleaguered U.S. can be proud of a smart, organized defensive effort that bodes well for future qualifiers.

“When many people doubted us, when many people said it couldn’t be done, that it was over, we came together as a group,” forward Herculez Gomez told ESPN on the field at Azteca. “We showed a tremendous attitude, a tremendous willingness to sacrifice for one another. On the field I think that spirit that you saw, that emotional intelligence that we managed, was just something else. It was really impressive and I have to applaud my teammates.”

The tactics

Klinsmann made two changes from the team that took the snowy field against Costa Rica, although the formation remained almost identical. In his U.S. first start in more than six months, Maurice Edu replaced the injured Jermaine Jones (ankle) in central midfield alongside the always-reliable Michael Bradley.

In back, reigning MLS Defender of the Year Matt Besler started next to Omar Gonzalez, relieving Clarence Goodson (hamstring). Besler was appearing in only his second international, but he looked increasingly comfortable in front of goalkeeper Brad Guzan as the game wore on.

It was a bold move toward coverage and continuity for Klinsmann, who played with three defensive central midfielders when the U.S. beat Mexico, 1-0, at the Azteca in an August exhibition. The score that day didn’t reflect the run of play—El Tri had 10 corner kicks to zero for the U.S. and outshot the Americans 15-6. In the two qualifying defeats suffered during the current cycle, that three-man midfield failed to maintain possession without outlets on the flanks and frequently was overrun.

The new alignment worked in Friday’s blizzard but it would have been understandable if Klinsmann reverted to a more cautious approach on Tuesday. However, the manager opted to maintain the momentum and preached confidence as the Americans headed into a stadium where they were 0-5-1 in World Cup qualifiers.

"We want to win here," Klinsmann said before the game. "We have a lot of respect for Mexico. It's a good side with good players and a fantastic coach. But we've come here to give them a real game, a real battle, and we are ready for it."

Overcoming early adversity

After starting the Hexagonal with two draws, Mexico couldn’t afford to drop additional points at Azteca, where it was 68-1-6 all time in qualifying. A crowd numbering nearly 100,000 would settle for nothing less than a dominating performance and three priceless points.

"Let's be honest: the pressure's on them," Bradley said this week. "If we can show them early on that we're going to close them down, that we're not just going to sit deep and let them have the ball the whole time, at a certain point the crowd could turn on them. I think there's a real chance for us if we can start well."

The hosts responded early, pinning the U.S. back and forcing Beasley and Besler into early yellow cards. Mexican star Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, who entered the game with four qualifying goals and figured to pose a significant problem with his devious movement in the penalty area, missed on two headers during the first half hour. The second constituted Mexico’s best chance of the first half and came on a 28th-minute cross from defender Jorge Torres Nilo. Running at full speed toward Guzan, Chicharito powered his header over the crossbar.

Slowly but surely, the U.S. stiffened while Mexico, strangely, retreated. Already lacking that final bit of quality in the attacking third, El Tri failed to pressure the U.S. in midfield and allowed the visitors to move the ball in their own half. Although it wasn’t the sort of possession that typically turns into scoring chances, it did allow the Americans to take valuable breathers and re-form their ranks. Bradley orchestrated the midfield intelligently, Gomez and Zusi put in an enormous amount of work and the U.S. entered the intermission on level terms.

“We knew they were going to come out in the first 20 minutes,” Guzan told ESPN. “It was important to have a good start to the game and I think we disrupted the rhythm of the game and that’s a credit to the work rate of the guys in front of me.”

Holding on

Not surprisingly, an increasingly desperate Mexico was on the front foot in the second half. But the U.S., beset by injuries and the absence of several regulars, didn’t break. Gonzalez and Besler were outstanding—the L.A. Galaxy and Sporting Kansas City stalwarts perhaps staking their claim to the starting center back spots in the future.

Gonzalez recovered quickly in the 53rd minute to snuff out a dangerous Mexican attack that left Javier Aquino open on the right for an easy cross. Sixteen minutes later, Besler blocked a goal-bound effort from midfielder Jesús Zavala.

The onslaught continued. In the 72nd, Andres Guardado slipped through two U.S. defenders and lofted a cross toward an open teammate at the far post, only to see Zusi race in on a 30-yard run from the right wing to head it clear.

In the 76th, Mexico thought it had earned a penalty kick when Edu bundled over Aquino from behind. But referee Walter Lopez, a Guatemalan, refused to blow his whistle. The hosts felt hard done by in the first half when Bradley shoved Chicharito in the penalty area and were livid when Edu’s tackle wasn’t sanctioned in the second, but it was that kind of night for Mexico. The favorites accomplished so little against their hard-working, well-organized rivals that they were forced to look to the referee for relief.

In the 87th, a Mexican corner kick (one of 15 on the night) found Chicharito on the far post, but the Manchester United marksman failed to find the target once again. Guzan, who may have something to say about the injured Tim Howard being the de facto starter, made a big save late and earned his second-straight shutout. The U.S. would secure its historic tie.

“The back line was outstanding,” Klinsmann said. “Besler, Omar, how Beasley (normally a midfielder) played the left back role, it seems like his whole life he played that role. It’s really wonderful for these guys to see that they take these challenges and it’s a huge challenge in front of 100,000 fans and it seems like it didn’t bother them.”

Looking ahead

The U.S. will leave Mexico City tied with both Costa Rica and Honduras on four points in the double round robin, one behind leader Panama (1-0-2). Mexico is a shocking fifth at 0-0-3 and now surely will face the pressure and scrutiny that was on the U.S. just a few days ago.

When qualifying picks up again in early June, the U.S. will be in a much better spot than it was last week. Klinsmann has found a formation that makes better use of his team’s talent, and in Gonzalez and Besler he has a center back pairing worth using again.

The chemistry was much improved as well, and it’s worth noting that each member of Tuesday’s starting 11 got his start in MLS. This was a group that understood what was at stake and how best to handle Mexico on its own turf. The attack needs improvement, but there was never going to much offense generated in snowy Denver or hostile Mexico City.

Tuesday’s results elsewhere in CONCACAF demonstrated just how congested the road to Brazil will be, but the U.S. has made enormous progress over the past week and appears to finally be finding its identity.